Elaine Vitikainen
“This was not a good year for me,” a colleague said as we sat
together for dinner a few weeks ago. We began to console each other on the many
challenges of being freelance consultants ‒ until another friend interrupted.
She started telling my colleague the many ways in which he’d done well in the
past year. I saw how his face suddenly lit up with her encouraging words. And
that was just a single time – imagine what a difference it makes to hear such
words regularly.
Words are powerful. They can build up or tear down. It made me stop and think
about the words I speak into my own life and others. My well-intended
criticisms may actually discourage. But my positive words build someone’s
courage. Romans 12 talks about love in action. In verse 10, it reminds us to “devote
to one another in love, honoring one another.” What does this mean in practical
terms? I think it includes regularly speaking words of encouragement.
This week:
- Think of those who are struggling at work. How can we encourage them? How can we show that we genuinely care for them?